Metro News & Reviews

A project focused on the Crenshaw/Slauson area was selected from a pool of over 130 applications nationwide for a creative placemaking grant from Transportation for America’s Cultural Corridor Consortium program.

Led by the local non-profit LA Commons, with technical assistance provided by Metro Art, the grant will fund the gathering of local stories by artists and youth, and the development of arts and cultural placemaking strategies in the vibrant communities of the Crenshaw/LAX corridor. Arts and cultural activities have blossomed along several of Metro’s operating rail lines as adjacent property owners integrate arts programming into their community development efforts, providing successful examples of how the arts contribute to the quality of life in communities.

LA Commons is a non-profit arts organization based in Leimert Park that produces a broad range of festivals, temporary public artworks, storytelling workshops, and walking tours. LA Commons operates using an equity lens, recognizing the key role that artists play in the community development process, providing an entry point for residents to envision an inclusive future and to influence the policymakers in creating it.

Transportation for America is an alliance of elected, business and civic leaders from communities across the country, united to ensure that states and the federal government step up to invest in smart, homegrown, locally-driven transportation solutions — because these are the investments that hold the key to our future economic prosperity. The new grant follows on two years of similar work with groups from Nashville, TN; San Diego, CA; and Portland, OR.

When asking the Art Community to execute a “public Art” we must remember that a “good public art” and a “bad public art” will be in the public’s eye for decades/centuries to come. So Metro must be careful what it buys, one only has to look at the “American” pyramid that was built in front of the French Louvre in Paris. No wonder the French they hate us! I have a life-time college credential in art and can spot a phony “public art” from miles away in my secret studio atop of Union Station’s wonderful clock tower. Don’t let the “Artiste” community fool Metro. Test “public art” submissions with the question: would this look good to future generations if placed in front of Union Station?